Hi, after advices from A netters about what to do in London for 5 hours (it was great !) now I find myself with the possibility of spending more than 7 hours in Dubai (arrive at 5AM, connecting flight departs at 15h or 3 pm).
Do you know if there is enough time there to go to the city of Dubai or do you have any suggestions about where to spend the time (hotel, sites, bars, cafes near airport).
I cannot see myself spending the time at the airport and would like to see a bit of Dubai actually. However I have heard stories about the mess in getting to Dubai and the least I want is to miss my flight ! (I suppose for a 15h departure, I would have to be at the airport at 1pm ?) (though I imagine I would already have my boarding pass and bags would have been checked through).
cheers
Parisien

hi thanks for the response.
they do then have organized city tour like at singapore airport ?
how long does it take to get to the airport from the city at about noonish ? (huge discrepancy in personal accounts on this subject).

Quoting Parisien (Reply 2):they do then have organized city tour like at singapore airport ?

Yep several tour companies such as Arabian Adventures do a city tour! Although some operators such as Arabian Adventures only do this trip in afternoons!
If you cannot get an organized trip, I just reccomend getting a taxi from the airport into the centre, maybe do some shopping or visit the Souks!

Quoting Parisien (Reply 2):how long does it take to get to the airport from the city at about noonish ?

Not to long, perhaps 45mins tops (I will need backing up on that though)!

I wouldn't hesitate to visit the Burj-Al Arab, it's considered to be a site of its own... I also believe it's the most expensive hotel ever built in the world. And if you can afford it, you can also play tennis on the helipad Just make sure not to fall over the fence....you may miss your flight.

I just came from there last week. Be prepared for 40C+ temp and for just a little taxi fare and about a 30 min. ride go to the docks and see the large wooden cargo ships and the water taxis. It's a neat sight to see. From there it's a short walk to one of the market and Souks.

Actually I'm in the same situation in August on a FRA-JNB stopover, except I have 22 hours to kill (5AM-3AM). So first I thought about going for a city tour, to the mall and maybe skiing, but now I found out that a rental car is just $30 for the day, and gas is cheap ( ) so I decided to rent something fast & airconditioned and take it out into the desert. I always prefer landscape over cities.

Soren

All the things you probably hate about travelling are warm reminders that I'm home

Thanks for all your responses !
i like shopping but as I will continue to do more travel, that is not an option so early in the trip as i will not want to have to lug everything whilst travelling through asia etc.
The port option and the desert sound good though.
the horror stories of traffic to the airport, the lines at the airport etc....those are exceptions rather than the rule then ?
in case i feel lazy and insecure, anyone know a nice hotel with a nice cafe near the airport ? if you can spot at the same time that would be ideal (airplanes or others)